The group didn't move, waiting for the other side to call for reinforcements, ready to take them all down at once.
Once the signal was confirmed sent, Pedro dealt with them immediately.
"Pedro, this area is yours. We'll go find the person in charge here," Ren said, looking at him.
"Yes." Pedro was a bit worried. Wano and Zou were allies, and he feared a conflict between Wano and Ren. Of course, he would stand by Ren without hesitation.
Wano was just rumored through the boss Nekomamushi, while Ren had brought prosperity to Zou.
Ren only brought three people: Reisa, Hancock, and Robin. The four of them headed toward Wano.
On the way, Hancock and Reisa kept sizing each other up. Robin watched silently, not wanting to be part of this soap opera. But, well, both were very beautiful.
As they neared the city, many ninjas appeared, mostly Kurozumi ninjas and samurai.
"Who are you…" A samurai first looked at Ren, then at Hancock. "Ah, beautiful lady, welcome to Wano."
Seeing hearts in his eyes, Hancock glanced at Reisa. Reisa couldn't stand it. Just because he was captivated by her beauty didn't mean she was less beautiful. She couldn't accept that.
"I wish to see the person in charge of Wano," Hancock said, her tone commanding and impossible to refuse.
"Of course, please follow us. And who are these?" The samurai looked at the other three.
Reisa's face darkened like the bottom of a pot. Ren was speechless, realizing Hancock's beauty had a powerful effect. If only he had brought her along all the time.
"He is with me. The other two are my subordinates," Hancock said.
"I see." The samurai were already distracted by her beauty.
"Heh, who are you calling your subordinates?" Reisa immediately objected. She didn't care if Ren said it, but Hancock? Absolutely not.
"Did I say you?" Hancock smiled at Reisa, who had taken it personally. When had the Empress ever lost to another woman?
"You…"
"Let's go." Ren interrupted. The drama on the ship was fine, but off the ship, there was no need for a soap opera. He felt a little embarrassed.
The journey was very smooth, but the number of followers kept growing, all drawn by Hancock's beauty.
This made Ren understand what it truly meant to be both beautiful and dangerous. Hancock's strength was not weak either.
The Shogun's Mansion.
Someone rushed into Kurozumi Orochi's room, knelt on the floor, and said, "Lord Orochi, a top-class beauty has come to visit."
"Top-class beauty? Quickly, bring her in." Kurozumi Orochi showed a lecherous smile. He had seen many women from Wano, but it was rare for someone his subordinates would call 'top-class.'
The moment Hancock entered, everyone's eyes turned into hearts. They were completely captivated by her.
She truly was extraordinary, so much so that they even ignored Reisa, the mermaid, standing beside her.
"I ask you, where is Kaido?"
"Kaido? Seems like he left with his pirate crew." Kurozumi Orochi spoke without holding back. He hadn't seen the big guy lately; after all, Kaido was the leader of the Beasts Pirates.
"Left?" Hancock looked at Ren.
Ren had been stunned from the start. When he went out to gather information, it was never easy—people either feared him or had never seen him.
Getting intel was never as simple as Hancock made it look. He regretted letting her go back then.
"Ren?"
"Left? Then let's go." Ren immediately lost interest. This isolated country didn't matter to him. Samurai, ninjas, strong warriors? That was relative; to him, it meant nothing.
"Wait, did I say you could leave?" Kurozumi Orochi panicked when he saw Hancock preparing to walk away.
"Love-Love Beam." Hancock activated her ability. A storm of countless arrows turned everyone in the room to stone, instantly making the place much quieter.
As long as Hancock didn't release her power, they would remain stone forever. And if anyone broke it… well, tough luck—they'd be done for.
With Hancock's ability, Ren didn't need to lift a finger. By the time they left the Shogun's Mansion, only statues remained.
"Wait, you killed Kurozumi Orochi?" A man with forward-styled, messy hair and an extreme fashion sense ran after them. He came to report intelligence as usual, only to find a room full of stone statues—including Kurozumi Orochi.
Hancock didn't waste words and planned to deal with them directly using her powers.
"Wait, beautiful lady, I bear no ill intent. In fact, I am here to thank you on behalf of the people." Denjiro didn't hesitate to kneel before them.
During this time, Kurozumi Orochi's tyranny had made life unbearable for ordinary citizens.
To stay undercover, he had no choice but to assist the villain, and to avoid bowing his head completely, he even styled his hair in a peculiar way.
Hancock stopped. In the end, she had no interest in this country, let alone in becoming its savior. Her main concern was Ren's plan.
"Since you've thanked me, there's something I need your help with."
"What is it? Whatever it is, Lord, if I can do it, I will never refuse."
"I heard that Wano can process Seastone?" Ren remembered that Seastone was the bane of Devil Fruit users. He couldn't waste a trip to Wano.
"Lord wants these stones?" Denjiro immediately understood.
"Help me craft a batch of weapons. Staves, swords, anything will do." Ren stated his need outright. Anything that could boost his side's combat power was worth taking.
"All right, but this may require the Lord to go in person. That place is still Orochi's territory." Denjiro felt a bit awkward. Once Kurozumi Orochi ruled, he kept control of all Seastone.
"That's fine. Consider it passing time until Kaido arrives." Ren murmured, leading the two women as they followed Denjiro. As for Robin, he had already sent her to the Poneglyph and was decoding history.
When they arrived at the Seastone processing site, Hancock's commanding presence caused the workers to switch sides. They worked diligently to craft weapons for Ren and his group.
Seastone weapons could give Ren's forces a huge boost. Their side had few Devil Fruit users, and even for those who had abilities, the weapons could have a non-Seastone grip at the end.
While the Seastone weapons were being made, Pedro had already eliminated the remaining pirates in the area. The Fish-Men took down one after another pirates, and soon they reached the borders of Wano.
The Fish-Men were wandering throughout the seas.
Ren had already informed them via Den Den Mushi that he would be staying in Wano for a while, telling them to stay alert.
The news that the entire Kurozumi faction in the Shogun's mansion had been turned to stone spread quickly.
That day, the people of the country cheered.
Kurozumi Orochi was a tool Kaido used to control Wano, and in reality, Kaido hadn't appeared much.
This meant that many civilians knew nothing about Kaido.
But the Nine Red Scabbards understood clearly that the most dangerous man had not yet been dealt with.
The man who had executed their Daimyo by boiling would not stop here. And until Kaido was driven out of Wano, there would eventually be a second, or even third, Kurozumi Orochi.
More than ten years remained before the time would come.
They didn't understand why something had gone wrong now, but for Wano's sake, they planned to contact Ren.
**********
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